Alien Adjustments and Medical Mysteries
by Khentkawes
Summary: The events of Origin from Dr. Lam’s point of view. An alien communication device, unexplained comas, miraculous resuscitation, and a warning from a distant galaxy. She had known this job would be a challenge, but she never expected anything like this.


Alien Adjustments and Medical Mysteries.

Summary: The events of Origin from Dr. Lam's point of view. An alien communication device, unexplained comas, miraculous resuscitation, and a warning from a distant galaxy. She had known this job would be a challenge, but she never expected anything like this.

Spoilers: Avalon part 1, and 2, Origin.

Author's Note: Originally, I wanted to write a missing scene for Origin because I wondered how Daniel could possibly give Dr. Lam a coherent warning in the ten to fifteen seconds he was awake. But Carolyn's perspective was surprisingly fun to write. Enjoy!

* * *

Doctor Carolyn Lam had always enjoyed a challenge. From the moment that Major General Jack O'Neill first approached her about working as the CMO of the SGC, she had known this would be the most challenging and exciting offer she would ever receive. What she hadn't expected was the string of surprises that followed. It was hard enough dealing with all the strange events around here (alien parasites, alien viruses, alien technology, and more often than not, actual aliens), without the added shock of finding out that her father was the new base commander. And just when she'd thought things couldn't get any more bizarre, she'd begun reading through old medical files.

In between the daily routine of pre- and post-mission exams for all active teams, she was trying to familiarize herself with the infirmary itself, her staff, and all the important medical discoveries that the SGC had made over the past eight years. She had taken to carrying around medical files wherever she went, using every spare moment to try and bring herself up to speed. This morning, she had grabbed the medical files for the senior base personnel, figuring it was a decent place to start off her week. In retrospect, maybe that was a bad idea.

"This has got to be some kind of joke," Carolyn muttered, still staring at the folder in her hand as she crossed the infirmary…_her_ infirmary, she reminded herself.

"Is there something I can help you with, Doctor?" a nurse asked.

Carolyn looked at the nurse. She was quite young, with blonde hair pulled back into a bun and a slightly shy smile on her lips. Carolyn should know the young woman's name, but for some reason she drew a blank. Quickly checking the name badge, she wondered if she'd ever learn the names of everyone on her staff. "Um…No, Lieutenant Evans. I was just going over some of the old medical files."

"Well, if there's any way I can help, feel free to ask, ma'am."

Carolyn didn't normally ask for help if there was any way to possibly avoid it. She prided herself on being self-sufficient. But it was time to face facts. She was in way over her head.

"I'm just trying to get a handle on everything." Carolyn thought of the stack of files still sitting on her desk and wondered what surprises those folders would hold. "I'm not used to medical files that record several different times of death for a living patient."

The Lieutenant suppressed a nervous giggle. "Doctor Jackson's file, ma'am?"

"Yes, obviously. His medical records are quite eventful. But he isn't the only one. Apparently there are a number of personnel on this base who have already been listed as 'deceased' on at least one occasion. So not only do I have to learn about alien physiology, I also have the privilege of treating the undead?" Carolyn sighed. "I suppose this is all a normal day's work for you?"

"No ma'am. Nothing about this job is normal. Last year I was taken over by an alien entity and I didn't even remember the experience." The Lieutenant looked away as if the memory still made her feel uncomfortable. "General O'Neill used to say that the SGC specializes in performing the impossible. I don't know if you ever get entirely used to it, but it does become less surprising."

Carolyn tried to smile, but she didn't find the conversation comforting. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll call you if I have any questions." Carolyn Lam headed to her office and refilled her coffee mug. No, she was sure that she would _never_ get used to this place.

* * *

This situation was a perfect example of how the unexpected, and the borderline impossible, seemed to be an everyday occurrence at Stargate Command. Combine one alien woman, a pair of alien handcuffs, a strange alien communication device, and one trouble-prone archeologist and you come up with the SGC disaster of the day. Carolyn Lam didn't even know where to start.

She'd been understandably upset when she discovered that Doctor Lee and Doctor Jackson had been messing around with some unknown piece of alien technology. And Colonel Mitchell didn't even seem to have a problem with it. Why hadn't anyone informed her? She could have told them if it was safe before they started trying to activate it. Okay, so in all honesty, she probably wouldn't have had a clue whether or not it was safe, or even what it was supposed to do. She sighed. They did things like this every day. For these people, fiddling around with alien technology was normal, and she would only be informed _after_ something went wrong.

Now she had two patients who were unconscious and could not be revived. One of those patients had gone into full cardiac arrest and had actually _died_ despite Carolyn's best attempts to resuscitate. Then, moments later, the same patient had miraculously revived and Doctor Carolyn Lam had no explanation for it.

Carolyn shook her head. Just a typical day at the office for the Chief Medical Officer of Stargate Command.

If Carolyn had felt overwhelmed before, she was completely adrift now. She hid her frustration behind the detached professionalism that had always served her so well, but the truth was she had no idea what to do. She had no way of knowing what that device had done to her patients. Without more information, she simply could not devise a treatment for their condition. The best she could do was monitor them closely for the time being, and deal with any further complications as they developed.

"Whoa! Uh, something just happened," Doctor Lee commented. Carolyn was already busy checking monitors as she moved over to the bed. Daniel's blood pressure and pulse had skyrocketed earlier, indicating that wherever he was, he was clearly under a great deal of stress. His vitals had returned to normal on their own, and Carolyn still had no idea what had caused it. However, this reaction was clearly different.

Carolyn leaned over Doctor Jackson, penlight in hand, and began checking his vitals. She jumped as she felt his hand seize her wrist in a firm grasp. Daniel's eyes snapped open, with a look of wild determination. Before Carolyn could respond, Daniel was speaking urgently.

"Listen to me, Earth may be in danger. There are priors coming who represent ascended beings called the Ori. They demand that all humans worship them or be destroyed…"

Vala's voice could be heard, overlapping with Daniel's. "If you refuse to worship them, they will burn you alive as a heretic…" Carolyn's head whipped around as she looked from one to the other, both of her formerly comatose patients suddenly very much awake and speaking at the same time. Doctor Jackson hadn't paused, his words coming out in a rush as he continued.

"The Ori priors have advanced powers that make them very dangerous. We cannot let th…" Daniel's voice trailed off, his eyes rolling back in his head as he collapsed back onto the bed. Carolyn looked over at the other bed to see that Vala had lost consciousness as well. Doctor Lee stood by her side looking as dumbfounded and speechless as she felt.

"What just happened?" Lee asked. Carolyn just shook her head. "And, how did they know about the Ori? Or that one of their representatives was coming here?" Colonel Mitchell had informed them of the situation with the alien missionary the last time he had stopped by to check on their patients, but that did not explain how Daniel and Vala could possibly know what had happened at the SGC while they were unconscious.

Doctor Lee stared at the device as if it could explain what they'd just seen. Lam checked her patients' vitals and saw no sign that they had ever woken up. "Whatever is happening to them, it doesn't look good. BP and heart rate are both elevated." She sighed in frustration. "I guess I need to go inform the General." _After all, it's not as if I'm doing any good here._ "Keep an eye on their vitals and I'll be back as soon as I can."

* * *

"They woke up, just for a moment, and then they lost consciousness again."

Her father – no, General Landry, she reminded herself – sighed in disappointment. Colonel Mitchell looked expectant.

"Did they say anything?" he asked.

"Yes, they did," Carolyn took a deep breath before continuing. "Doctor Jackson was quite insistent actually. He knew there would be a prior here representing the Ori, who he claims are 'ascended beings.' He insisted that they were dangerous, that the priors have some kind of advanced powers…Honestly, I'm not sure what he meant, but even Vala agreed with him. She said that the Ori kill those they consider to be heretics."

"They said all that? I thought you said they were only conscious for a moment?" Mitchell stared in disbelief.

"They were. It was probably only a matter of seconds, but they were both quite vocal about this prior being a threat." Carolyn turned back to Landry. "I have to get back. They aren't out of danger yet, but I wanted you to know as soon as possible."

"Thank you, doctor," Landry said. As she walked away, she could hear him talking to Mitchell. "I think we can assume that Ancient device has something to do with this."

"Yes, sir," she heard Mitchell reply. "And knowing Jackson, I think we have to take his warning seriously."

"Agreed. Secure our 'guest' immediately." Carolyn quickened her steps and wondered what she would find when she returned to the observation room.

* * *

She had barely stepped foot in the room, when it became clear that both Daniel and Vala were in immediate danger. From that point on, the situation deteriorated so rapidly that Carolyn didn't have time to think. She ordered the code blue emergency and began administering sedatives to both patients with no measurable effect. Amid wildly beeping monitors, she was vaguely aware of Colonel Mitchell and Teal'c barging in to argue with Doctor Lee before they left with the alien device. She kept working, kept trying, moving back and forth between both patients as she heard Doctor Lee note their falling blood pressure and rising heart rate. She tried not to swear when he stated the obvious fact that they were going into shock.

Amid the chaos, she prepared the defibrillator. "Charging to two hundred." Carolyn leaded towards Doctor Jackson. "Clear!" Carolyn reached down and found a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at her. She jumped, holding the paddles in mid-air and staring down into disoriented eyes that held a touch of fear. Carolyn heard a gasp behind her and turned to see Vala sitting up. She quickly glanced at the monitors, as if to confirm what she was seeing. Daniel turned his head slightly to lock eyes with Vala. The alien woman had brought one hand to her throat and was nearly hyperventilating. Carolyn's patients seemed to share a strange moment of understanding, as they both began to relax. Vala was still breathing heavily as if she couldn't get enough oxygen, but Daniel's eyes had lost the wild, fearful look.

Daniel seemed to take a deep breath and then broke the silence. "Vala…it's okay." He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily. "We're gonna be okay."

Daniel looked up and met Carolyn's eyes as she stood in shock. "You're uh, not planning on using those are you?" he asked. She looked at him in confusion and then realized she was still holding the defibrillator paddles.

"Apparently not." Replacing the paddles on the cart, she strode quickly to the phone and placed a call to the control room. She wasn't surprised when she heard her father's professional voice on the other end. "It worked. Daniel and Vala just regained consciousness. I'll let you know more after I've examined them," Carolyn said, before hanging up and returning to her patients.

"So, does anyone want to explain to me what just happened?" Carolyn asked, still trying to get a handle on the situation as she moved over to Doctor Jackson.

"It's, uh, kind of a long story," Daniel said, still looking disoriented. Suddenly he looked around and tried to sit up quickly. Carolyn placed a hand on his shoulder to restrain him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Wait. Has a prior been sent here? We have to stop them. The Ori will destroy everyone who refuse to believe in them, and we have to…"

"Relax. You're not going anywhere until I've examined you," Carolyn slipped back into her firm, professional doctor voice.

But Daniel did not give up easily. "You don't understand. They're on a crusade and we have to stop them. They won't give up until…"

"Doctor Jackson," Carolyn tried again. "I already warned General Landry and Colonel Mitchell about what you said. They're handling it. Now, _you_ need to relax and let me examine you. Both of you." Carolyn looked over her shoulder to include Vala in her statement. Vala gave her an innocent look.

"Who, me?" she smiled. "I'm not causing any problems."

Daniel scoffed. Vala glared at him in response. Carolyn rolled her eyes and almost threatened to separate the two of them, but decided she didn't want to risk the chance they might pass out again from the effect of the bracelets. She's spent far too long waiting for them to wake up.

* * *

Her examinations were complete and revealed nothing unusual, which seemed unusual in and of itself. Shouldn't there be some evidence of their ordeal with the alien…whatever it was? But as far as Doctor Lam's tests showed, both Doctor Jackson and Miss Mal Doran were somewhat tense and in need of a good night's sleep, but otherwise in perfect health. She had moved them to the infirmary for the examination and they had given her the very brief version of events, which she had reported back to General Landry. They were both scheduled for a full debriefing as soon as she gave them medical clearance.

She walked back to the bed where Vala sat, still dressed in infirmary scrubs, with her knees drawn up to her chest. "How are you feeling?" Carolyn asked.

"Amazingly good, for someone who was burned to death twice," she tried a small smile, but her usual bravado fell flat.

"Technically, you only died once," Daniel's voice interrupted as he stepped out from behind a curtain at the far end of the room. He had just changed into green BDU's and replaced his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Well, technically, _you_ didn't die at all, so you're not one to talk. You have no idea how disconcerting it is to know that you've died and survived the experience," Vala said with a slight huff.

"Oh trust me, I understand better than you think," Daniel replied softly.

Vala looked at Daniel strangely, but before she could ask for clarification, Colonel Mitchell entered the room.

"So," he clapped his hands together briskly, "how are the lovebirds doing?"

Doctor Jackson glared at him, but Carolyn drew their attention back to herself.

"Both Doctor Jackson and Miss Mal Doran are cleared. There seem to be no residual effects from the communication device or from Vala's…miraculous resuscitation."

Before Carolyn could continue, Doctor Jackson interrupted.

"What about the prior? I know that one was sent to Earth. What happened? Did you…"

"Whoa, slow down Jackson," Mitchell held up one hand. "Yes, we know about these missionaries from the Ori, and yes, there was one here. We were going to take him into custody, but…that didn't quite work out." Daniel looked puzzled and opened his mouth to say something. "We'll explain everything in the briefing. Landry and Teal'c are still trying to deal with Gerak…" Again the puzzled look from Daniel, and again Mitchell raised a hand to stop him. "…Long story. Gerak's the leader of the new Jaffa council. Unfortunately he was making a visit when this 'prior,' showed up. Anyway, I'm here to check up on the two of you, and see if you're ready for what I expect to be a very long debriefing."

"They're free to leave," Carolyn said to Mitchell before turning back to her two patients. "But I'd like you both to take it easy for a while. You've been under a great deal of stress." She suddenly remembered something else that she had meant to ask about. "We've managed to explain most of the physiological effects we observed while you were unconscious, but I do have one more question. Doctor Jackson, sometime before you first regained consciousness, your vital signs became erratic. Now I assume you were in some sort of stressful situation, but I'd like to rule out any other possible causes. For several minutes your blood pressure and heart rate were severely elevated, but Vala seemed perfectly fine. Do you have any idea what could have caused such a reaction?"

Everyone turned to stare at Daniel for a moment, including Vala who gave him a curious look. Daniel turned to stare at his feet for a moment.

"It must have been when Vala and I were separated. You see, I asked to speak to the Doci…the uh, head prior, and I asked him to let me speak to the Ori…directly." Carolyn frowned at his hesitation and she noticed he glanced at Vala, who gave him a tight smile.

"I take it your discussion didn't go so well?" Mitchell said.

"No, not really, no." Daniel sighed and then looked up. He looked a bit distant, almost haunted. "I've dealt with ascended beings before. But I've never encountered something like this." He looked Mitchell in the eye. "They are on a crusade to destroy anyone who refuses to submit to their will. And they have the power to make good on that threat."

There was moment of uncomfortable silence. Carolyn wasn't entirely sure what an ascended being was and she had no idea what they were capable of, but she did know that Doctor Jackson had worked on the front lines for nearly ten years, and she had a feeling he wasn't easily intimidated.

She placed her hand gently on his arm and waited until her looked her in the eye. "Okay, well I'm going to assume that your experience explains the unstable vital signs. But if you have any further symptoms, I want you to report back to me immediately. That goes for both of you." They both nodded. "Now, Vala, Nurse Bennett will find you some clothes, and show you where you can change. Then I'll release you both."

Vala nodded again and stood to follow the nurse.

"Vala," Daniel stopped her. "Can you remove these now?" He held up his right arm, with the Goa'uld bracelet still wrapped around his wrist.

She smiled sweetly. "Now, Daniel, we were getting along so well. You know, bonding in the midst of adversity and all that…I was thinking we could do a little more _bonding_." She grinned and raised her eyebrows.

"Vala," Daniel's tone was firm.

She sighed and gave him a pouty look. "Okay. I'll remove them."

"Thank you."

"But it really is a shame. You showed such promised," she grinned over her shoulder as she left the room with just a slightly seductive swagger.

Carolyn tried to hide her grin as she turned away. She still wasn't sure about this place. She didn't understand half of what went on around here. But she had survived her first crisis. Admittedly, she hadn't done much and both of her patients had recovered with little or no help from her. Now apparently, the SGC was in more danger than it had been before. She didn't understand that danger either, but she did know one thing. The people who worked here were the best and she hoped she could contribute to that. Even if that meant working for her father.

She watched Colonel Mitchell and Doctor Jackson as they waited for Vala to return. Mitchell was once again pestering Jackson about rejoining SG-1. Despite the slight tinge of irritation, the archeologist seemed genuinely amused by the new colonel and Carolyn smiled. There had been a lot of changes at the SGC recently, but she hoped that maybe she could make a place for herself here, just as Mitchell was trying to.

As Vala strolled back into the room, Carolyn glanced over at her to make sure the woman really was okay. She had seemed rather shaken earlier, and Carolyn was still a bit worried about how she was handling the stress of the past few days.

Suddenly, Carolyn smiled. Somewhere along the line, she had stopped thinking of Vala as an alien and started thinking of her as a person. _Well, that settles it,_ she thought to herself. _I must be getting used to things around here._

She turned back to her office to get started on the paperwork for the past few days. Doctor Jackson's medical file would have to be updated again. Carolyn tried to decide how to explain his latest medical condition. "The patient's consciousness was transported to another galaxy. He claims to have inhabited an alien man while his own body remained in a coma. Patient went into full cardiac arrest because the body he inhabited was being burned to death. Patient number two was declared medically brain dead before miraculous resuscitation through the assistance of an alien being." Actually, all things considered, that didn't sound too out of the ordinary.


End file.
